WWII Remembered: Leaders, Battles & Heroes – 2016

The most inclusive commemoration in the nation of the pivotal events of World War II will be our last chance to honor the men and women of the Greatest Generation in person. Your support is critical to make this historic event possible.
The Greatest Generation answered the call. Will you?

EXHIBITS

Beginning June 2013, a multi-year, multi-faceted large scale exhibit will occupy the Museum Temporary Gallery with rotational components in the Temporary Gallery, as well as throughout the remainder of the Museum. A large, supplemental exhibit focusing on the unsung Allies and heroes of the War will be located in the Presidential Library Gallery. Traveling and online exhibits will allow us to extend the benefit of the exhibits around the world. All of the exhibits will appeal to public interest and enthusiasm for World War II history without being a mere reiteration of famous American triumphs. The exhibits will also broaden the understanding of the era for visitors and increase appreciation for the difficulty and enormity of Eisenhower’s job as Supreme Commander of all Allied forces in Europe. The War elsewhere will not be ignored. We will offer incisive examinations of theatres and battles around the world. We will also share the stories of such groups as the Tuskegee Airmen, Native American Code Talkers, the brave contribution of the Ritchie Boys, and the heroic stories of women at war and on the working home front.
– Most ambitious exhibit program to date: 10,000 square feet over 3+ years
– Wall-scale enlargements of never-before-seen images and documents
– Newly acquired and loaned artifacts from national and international museums and private collections
– Interactive stations encouraging visitors to follow individual soldiers and citizens through the war years
– Media stations with up-to-the-minute coverage of World War II memorial events around the globe

EDUCATION PROGRAMS

World War II reigns as humanity’s greatest conflict, ending in cataclysmic destruction, incalculable death, and the massive displacement of entire populations. Its impact is still felt today. Yet for most young people this epic global event has little meaning beyond an unread chapter in a lifeless textbook or the manic challenge of a popular video game. Harnessing the historical treasures of the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, the educational components of Wold War II Remembered will address this growing deficit in our national memory. Exhibit-based and online curricula, in addition to interactive social media applications, will be developed. All will feature rich primary source material from our vast repository of history. School transportation stipends will bring buses of students to experience the exhibits first hand, while distance-learning programming will take the exhibits to far-flung classrooms. Equipped with stipends, classroom teachers will deepen their knowledge of World War II through hands-on archival research and scholarly conferences.
– Exhibit-based educational materials
– Teacher workshops and research stipends
– Feature new primary sources from the archives
– School transportation stipends for underserved constituencies
– Interactive learning and social-media application
– Experiential-learning materials and programming
– Distance-learning opportunities

PUBLIC PROGRAMS

A great assortment of public programs will complement our commemorative events. Symphonies and military band concerts, film series, world-class book talks and lectures, veterans’ reunions, vintage military vehicle displays, and re-enactor encampments will bring history to life for visitors during the commemorative period.
– Symphony at Sunset annual D-Day concert – 1st Saturday of June
– Military band concerts and other musical programs
– Films – World War II, homefront, popular films of the time
– Allied and Axis propaganda films with guest lecturers
– POW camps discussion forums
– World War II legacy symposiums
– Homefront war effort programs
– “Untold Stories of World War II and Heroes” programs
– World War II Re-enactors